Summer Love: Take Two by Shirley Jump
Author:Shirley Jump
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tule Publishing
Published: 2018-05-01T00:00:00+00:00
Chapter Seven
Carter headed into Maloneâs Market a little after two, holding up a hand in his fatherâs direction before the question could be voiced. âDonât ask.â
âI thought you were taking the day off to spend with Lauren. What happened?â
âWhat part of âdonât askâ didnât you hear?â Carter shook his head, letting out a low curse. From the second heâd dropped Lauren off at the resort, heâd been frustrated. He could blame it on the sun exposure, but truth was, heâd expected his plans to go another direction. What direction, he wasnât sure. But definitely not down the drop me off, weâre done today way. Maybe a part of him had been trying to recapture the past, like some melancholy teenager who needed closure or something stupid like that. âSorry, Dad. The day didnât turn out like I hoped. Thanks for filling in for me. I can work the rest of the afternoon if you want to go home.â
âDonât worry about it. If I go home, your mother is going to want help with the garden. As much as I love her, Iâm not a big fan of planting azaleas.â Roger Malone came out from behind the counter, ducked down the aisle of freezer cases, reached inside and pulled something out, then held it toward his son. âDreamsicle?â
âThatâs not going to work.â
âSure it is.â His father tick-tocked the orange and vanilla ice cream back and forth. âWhenever you had a bad day at school or got a bad grade, Iâdââ
âGive me a Dreamsicle, then sit with me on the bench out front and weâd talk about it.â Carter chuckled. âIâm not twelve anymore.â
Roger shrugged. The amiable smile that was part and parcel of Rogerâs personality curved across his face, making him look younger than his gray hair and sixty-two years announced. His brown eyes sparkled. âStoreâs dead right now. The sun is shining. And look, what do you know, the bench is free.â
Carter knew when to admit defeat. Besides, he was kind of hungry. âGive me that.â
His father handed over the ice cream, chuckling as he followed his son outside. They settled beside each other on the wooden bench, both a little older and wider than the last time theyâd done this, but still fitting comfortably on the well-worn seat. How many conversations had Carter had with his father in this very spot? It was where heâd learned about the birds and the bees, and where heâd been when he told his father he was heading to Chicago and not coming back. And then, years later, where he sat and prayed while his father clung to life in a hospital bed. For all of Carterâs life, the bench had sat there, solid, predictable, and comforting.
âMaybe Iâm an idiot for trying to resurrect the past.â Carter sighed. âWe were teenagers when we dated, and maybe itâs true what they say. You canât go back again.â
âNo, you canât. But you can go forward.â Roger leaned forward and propped his arms on his knees.
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